Humans hunted for meat 1.6 million years earlier than previously thought

Evidence from ancient butchery site in Tanzania shows early man was capable of ambushing herds up to 1.6 million years earlier than previously thought

Ancient humans used complex hunting techniques to ambush and kill antelopes, gazelles, wildebeest and other large animals at least two million years ago. The discovery – made by anthropologist Professor Henry Bunn of Wisconsin University – pushes back the definitive date for the beginning of systematic human hunting by hundreds of thousands of years.

Two million years ago, our human ancestors were small-brained apemen and in the past many scientists have assumed the meat they ate had been gathered from animals that had died from natural causes or had been left behind by lions, leopards and other carnivores.


But Bunn argues that our apemen ancestors, although primitive and fairly puny, were capable of ambushing herds of large animals after carefully selecting individuals for slaughter. The appearance of this skill so early in our evolutionary past has key implications for the development of human intellect.

“We know that humans ate meat two million years ago,” said Bunn, who was speaking in Bordeaux at the annual meeting of the European Society for the study of Human Evolution (ESHE). “What was not clear was the source of that meat. However, we have compared the type of prey killed by lions and leopards today with the type of prey selected by humans in those days. This has shown that men and women could not have been taking kill from other animals or eating those that had died of natural causes. They were selecting and killing what they wanted.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/23/discovery-humans-hunted-for-meat-1-6-million-years-earlier-than-previously-thought/



I got a bunch of questions on this.

Did the group hunting preclude human speech? I saw some documentary on african bushman hunting a gazelle and there are strategies and communication involved in long hunts.... We could out run them so the hunt took many hours.

Now about the killing weapons and the technologies involved?


If the brain was growing because of the protein increase what exact hominid are they talking about?

MAD Presents's Mitt Romney's campaign journal

Mitt Fit: Romney Threw ‘Temper Tantrum’ and Forced Univision to Re-tape Intro

Univision says that during his townhall with them, not only did the Romney campaign packed the hall with non-students because they couldn’t find enough supporters on campus, but when the anchor gave an introduction to Mitt that he didn’t like, he refused to go on until they re-taped it. A Republican present called it a “temper tantrum”.


That wouldn’t be the last demand from the campaign: Romney himself almost pulled the plug on the whole thing minutes before the broadcast, Salinas said.


While introducing Romney at the top of the broadcast, Salinas’s co-anchor, Jorge Ramos, noted that the Republican candidate had agreed to give the network 35 minutes, and that Obama had agreed to a full hour the next night. Ramos then invited the audience to welcome Romney to the stage — but the candidate didn’t materialize.
“It was a very awkward moment, believe me,” Salinas said.
Apparently, Romney took issue with the anchors beginning the broadcast that way, said Salinas, and he refused to go on stage until they re-taped the introduction. (One Republican present at the taping said Romney “threw a tantrum.”)


http://www.politicususa.com/mitt-fit-romney-threw-temper-tantrum-forced-univision-re-tape-intro.html

Missouri the show me state.. if you say so Mitt

A Letter From Ann Romney to the GOP

Dear Fellow-Republican,

I’m not a happy camper.

Over the past few days, some so-called Republicans have taken it upon themselves to lob some pretty harsh words in the direction of my husband.

Now, it’s one thing when Mitt gets criticized by the forty-seven per cent of Americans who are parasites sucking at capitalism’s teat. But when former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan calls his campaign “a rolling calamity,” it’s time for Ann Romney to kick some ass.

Which brings me to you. This is not a fundraising appeal. Lord knows this campaign has all the money it needs, especially since Mitt went to Vegas and promised Sheldon Adelson he’d bomb Tehran on Day One.

As Mitt’s wife, I’m asking you to pledge something far more valuable:

Your silence.

By signing the pledge form below, you become an official member of Ann Romney’s Circle of Silence, an élite tier of the Romney for President Campaign.

As a member of the C.O.S., you will receive priority ticketing to the Inauguration, as well as a collectible “Loose Lips Sink Mitt” ball gag.

All you have to do is shut the freak up until Election Day.

That’s right, for the next forty-six days, I’m asking you to bite your tongue every time Mitt says or does something idiotic.

If you think that sounds difficult, welcome to my world.

And Peggy Noonan, if you’re reading this: you want a piece of Ann Romney? Then get in the ring, girlfriend, and I’ll mess you up good.

Vote for Mitt,
Ann


Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2012/09/a-letter-from-ann-romney.html#ixzz278IfXVzE

ABC/Univision says it was a real tan..

Here at ABC/Univision, we wanted to clear the air a bit and find out what really happened.

So we asked the man who saw it first hand -- makeup artist Lazz Rodriguez, who applied powder and concealer to the candidate's skin that night. The verdict?

"When he walked in, I remember thinking, 'Wow this is tanner than I thought he was,' but I think he's just been outside a lot lately for his campaign," Rodriguez noted. "It was definitely a real tan."

Rodriguez has been a makeup artist for 25 years, and has applied cosmetics to hundreds of famous faces, including many celebrities and politicians, and a handful of presidents.

"Clinton was definitely the fairest-skinned of politicians I've worked with," he said. "But Romney was a lot darker than I expected," he said.

http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News/mitt-romneys-tan-draws-media-fire-makeup-artist/story?id=17290303#.UFytpo7v3bw




He must have been wearing some kind of magic hat that covered his ears, neckline
and hands.

Bachmann country is now a battleground

ST. CLOUD - Democratic congressional candidate Jim Graves walked into a bar and headed straight for the group wearing the Michele Bachmann for Congress buttons.

Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District, which stretches from exurbs through farmlands and blue-collar towns, has been Bachmann country since 2006, when the conservative lawmaker bootstrapped herself into the U.S. House of Representatives. She has fended off every Democratic and third-party challenger since then and become an icon to Tea Party Republicans.

But this year, Bachmann is up against an atypical Democrat -- a wealthy businessman who embraces capitalism and has a strong libertarian streak on social issues. By midweek, the two were clashing fiercely over competing ads, with Bachmann labeling Graves as "Big Spending Jim," and Graves accusing her of being more concerned with her national brand than her constituents.

Bachmann canceled the interview she had scheduled for this story. But her campaign spokesman, Chase Kroll, railed against Graves' attempts to appeal to Bachmann's conservative base. "The thing about Jim Graves is that he will say different things depending on the audience he's talking to," Kroll said.

At the Red Carpet nightclub Tuesday night, Graves touted his free-market credentials at a weekly town-hall meeting organized by conservative talk radio host Dan "Ox" Ochsner, of KNSI Radio.


SNIP....


http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/170605246.html?refer=y

The Ballad of Tim Kaine; Or, How Not to Talk About Tax Rates B

In 2012, Democrats have a pretty cheap and simple tax message. Let the Bush tax cuts on top rates expire. Tax reform? Sure, eventually. But trust us, we only want to tax the rich -- as, according to polls, all of you voters do.

For some weird reason, in today's debate with George Allen, U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine repeated this line then got tripped up by a softball question about Mitt Romney's "47 percent" tape. His tax plan: "Let the Bush tax cuts expire, as planned, for people making more than $250,000." (Almost right, close enough.) But Gregory saw an opening on the philosophy of the "47 percent."

GREGORY: Do you believe that everyone in Virginia should pay something in federal income tax?

KAINE: Well, everyone pays taxes! I mean, the statistics that have come out..

GREGORY: I'm asking about federal income taxes.

KAINE: I would be open to a proposal that would have some minimum tax level for everyone, but I do insist, many of the 47 percent that Gov. Romney was going after pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than he does.



This is one of the dumbest ways a politician can get tripped up. No one -- literally no one -- has a serious proposal that would make "everyone" pay a minimum income tax. This was obvious in 2011,......SNIP...

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/09/20/the_ballad_of_tim_kaine_or_how_not_to_talk_about_tax_rates.html

Rick Perry Blames Separation Of Church And State On Satan

In a conference call with fellow evangelicals earlier this week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) shared his thoughts on the origins of the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state. Rather than tracing the idea to the nation’s founders, Perry warned of a more nefarious source: Satan.

“Satan runs across the world with his doubt and with his untruths and what have you and one of the untruths out there that is driven is that people of faith should not be involved in the public arena,” Perry said during the call on Tuesday, organized by the Rev. Rick Scarborough.

Perry said the separation of religious and civic institutions in the U.S. began with a “narrative” that first took root in the 1960s.

“Somehow or another there’s this, ya know, steel wall, this iron curtain or whatever you want to call it between the church and people of faith and this separation of church and state is just false on its face,” the governor said. “We have a biblical responsibility to be involved in the public arena proclaiming God’s truth.”


SEPTEMBER 20, 2012, 3:13 PM

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/09/rick_perry_satan_church_state.php



He could have been the GOP nominee

"I really am the Juan Percent"

Mitt really went out of his way to get his "Latino" on, what was his conversation with the makeup person like?




"Lacquer the bronzer on with a trowel you filthy moocher"


Look at the face...then look at the hands. Oh, if only John Boehner were there for a comparison.






http://rising-hegemon.blogspot.dk/2012/09/i-really-am-juan-percent.html